For the first time this season, FC Dallas come off a loss after a 4-3 setback suffered at the hands of in-state rival Houston Dynamo last Saturday. But the Hoops don't have time to dwell on their first defeat of 2006 as defending MLS champion Los Angeles Galaxy, who won the crown on FCD's home field, arrive at Pizza Hut Park for a midweek clash.
Hoops head coach Colin Clarke offered his assessment of Saturday night's loss.
"You look at the scoreline and you think the defense was awful," he said. "But those (the three goals) were pretty much the only chances they had in the first half. I was a little disappointed to go in three down. In the second half, we came out, got at them and scored some goals. We showed a lot of character and resiliency. In past seasons, we might not have done that."
Clarke then shifted his thoughts to the Galaxy, acknowledging how dangerous they are, not just because they come off a 4-0 loss to the New England Revolution in a rematch of last year's MLS Cup Final, but also because this will be the final game for Chris Albright and Landon Donovan before they head to the World Cup.
"You've got to be careful," he said. "They're going to be fired up after that game (against New England) and want to prove to people that that wasn't L.A. It will be Landon (Donovan) and (Chris) Albright's last game and they'll want to go away on a positive note."
"We definitely do (want to send them out with a loss)," said FCD midfielder Mark Wilson. "We're pretty annoyed with last year how the results went leading up to the Cup Final (losing against Colorado in the Western Conference Semifinal Series) and in the game the week after. We want to prove a point Wednesday. We'll all be scrapping and fighting hard to make sure we win the game."
Hoops striker Kenny Cooper says that playing against World Cup squad members is nothing new and that L.A. sending two to the squad is a tribute to the league.
"We came up against (Brian) Ching last week and he proved why he's been selected to the national team," he said. "These are some great players and a testament to the league that we're able to offer up players for the national team.
"Landon Donovan is an incredible player and is so well-respected here," Cooper added. "It'll be a great game. We're looking forward to playing them. It's not just them (Albright and Donovan). They have a very good team and we're looking forward to it."
Ronnie O'Brien took it a step further, suggesting that Albright and Donovan might not be going full throttle in their final MLS game before the World Cup.
"It's sort of a catch-22 for them," he said. "Obviously the club pays their wages, but the World Cup is where they want to be. It's whether they want to stick their foot into those tackles before they go. Personally, I don't think they do. We've got to go out and play hard. Hopefully they'll shy away from the game and be two players down."
Defender Bobby Rhine also is quick to point out that it was on the Hoops' home field that the Galaxy won the league title last fall. It is something he hasn't forgotten.
"It was very difficult to have to sit here last year and watch New England and L.A. play in our own stadium for the title game when we felt we were one of the top teams in the league," he said. "Now we have a chance to make some sort of statement. We need to get three points and get back on the right track."
A year ago, the two teams battled four times in league play as each chased the Western Conference regular season title. As well, the Galaxy defeated FC Dallas 1-0 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, the first time the Hoops had played for a trophy since the 1997 season, when they won the Open Cup.
"It's a game within the conference which makes them always bigger," Clarke said. "We've got to make sure we take care of business at home."
Rhine feels the match provides a perfect opportunity to put last weekend's setback behind the team.
"We're certainly going to want to come out and get three points tomorrow night," he said. "We're disappointed not to come away with a single point against Houston feeling as though we fought back.
"We're very much looking forward to playing L.A.," he said. "Certainly they're going to be ready to play knowing that they had a bad result against New England. We've had a reality check as well against Houston. So it makes for a good game."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
